EBMUD Asks Customers to Cut Water Use by 10 percent

The East Bay Municipal Utility District has asked customers to cut water use by 10 percent. (Google Street View)

East Bay Municipal Utility District, supplier of water to Alameda and other East Bay cities, has asked customers to voluntarily cut back water use by 10 percent.

The district says that it relies on snowmelt and runoff for almost all if its water supply; as of this weekend, snow and rain in the Mokelumne River watershed is 49 percent of normal.

“This weekend’s rain and snow were a relief. But we still have only about half of the average precipitation we count on,” said Board President Andy Katz.

According the district, its customers use 17 percent less water today than five years ago, but the district is forced to ask for an extra 10 percent on top of that in the immediate term to deal with the drought.

The utility is trying to avoid mandatory rationing, by asking for voluntary cutbacks and by pulling water from the Sacramento River, through the district’s partnership with the Sacramento County Water Agency.

The district provided no timeline for lifting the demand for voluntary cutbacks.